Sue explains why she chose to end her 20-year marriage after her fibromyalgia diagnosis.
Sue:
I think it was the age. It was turning 50 and saying to myself, “If I don’t do this now I am never going to do it.” Also, trying to figure out how I was going to support myself because I was sick. I was collecting disability. That’s how sick I was, but it wasn’t enough for me to live on. We had a pretty good lifestyle and once I started talking to my friends and I actually did go and consult an attorney to see what my options were, and I found out that I could get, because I had been married for so long I was eligible for spousal support for ‘x’ amount of years and I realized that with everything that I could do and maybe I could start getting a part time job because even though I was 50 and I said I was well I wasn’t totally well at that point.
So, I realized that I could get enough money to make it on my own and I think that’s a concern that a lot of women have is, “How am I going to make it?” For most it’s because they have children that they are raising and they are a full-time mom. For me, my career was over and I had to think about, “How am I going to support myself?” Because I had been so sick, and once the financial thing came together it made me a lot stronger and realized that it was time to leave. I had tried three or four times before, but this time was really the time to go.
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That's great that she found a solution that will allow her to still benefit financially through her spousal support monies. Does anyone have a story to share where they are successfully, completely supporting themselves on their own (single income) without marriage benefits (financial or health benefits)?
January 1, 2011 - 9:11pmI've never been married and can't afford to go on disabilty as I would be unable to support myself on disability. As a single woman and needing to keep my full time job to make a living while struggling with Fibromyalgia, I'm searching for solutions.
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